Tucson In February

Whew! February in Tucson is an exciting and busy time- we are now in our second week of Gem show frenzy- Lots of cars on the roads from out of state, no parking downtown...and our favorite eateries? Booked solid! :-) We love it though- because in exchange, Tucson gets to host 40+ of the most wonderful gem shows you ever have opened your wallet for!

Last week was the most active week for me- The Agta show is in the Convention center, all the tents are up at Holidome and Tep. That first official week of the shows (not including the "pre-show" shows the weekend before) that first week is chock full of activities- many seminars to choose from (most are free!) and of course, party after party after opening to attend.

This year, I hosted a small gathering at my studio for members of Metalsmiths Unite who were in town for the shows- Luckily, the weather was in our favor and we had a cool, dry evening to enjoy a bit of outdoors and a warm bonfire (I even toasted a couple of marshmalows....then gave up when I found that I needed a longer stick- ouch!)

OK- to those who could not make it to the meet up- sorry, I know how hard it is to juggle all the demands of the Gem show- I hope that you can find more time next year to come to this fun and relaxing gathering- And I hope that you had a good time if you got to the shows- made lots of contacts and found gems and tools galore!

I'm now setting my sights on the next fun February event- The Yuma Symposium! I'll be going there in a few weeks with a couple of my friends- it's going to be my 4th time attending the event, and I anticipate a Hugely entertaining and creative weekend- (I'll be blogging about it for sure!)

Have a great week everyone- remember to post your events/workshops/pics on the Metalsmiths Unite! wall- let us know what you are up to- Have fun in your studios! be safe-
Metalsmiths, Unite!
ciao- Maureen